OLD FRIENDS,NEW RIVALS

Setoshi woke up on his second day at Yuto FC with the echo of the criticism he had heard yesterday. Nakamu-san's words, "You need to be disciplined," were running through his mind. He was more prepared this morning. He checked his gym bag, cleaned his cleats, and set off early to get to the field before everyone else. The sun was just rising when he arrived at the Yuto FC field. There were only a few people on the field. The silence gave Setoshi a chance to calm down and collect himself.

But the silence didn't last long. Nakamu's heavy footsteps could be heard from afar. "Setoshi, you weren't bad yesterday," he said suddenly. Setoshi looked up in surprise. Nakamu's voice was serious, but there was a small smile on his face. "But I want to see better today than yesterday." Those words sparked a spark inside Setoshi. "I'll push my limits today," he thought.

When practice started, Setoshi worked with all his might. He struggled to keep up with the other players during their passing drills. A hard tackle he made to steal the ball from an opposing player caught Nakamu's attention. "This kid is eager, but he needs to learn to use his intelligence," Nakamu muttered. He then called Setoshi over. "You have good physical strength, but you need to learn to read the game. Football is not played with just your feet, it is played with your mind."

Setoshi took these words as a lesson and tried to be more careful on the field. However, the other players were still talking behind his back. "Isn't this new kid too ambitious?" they whispered. Setoshi tried to ignore these comments, but deep down they only spurred him on. "You'll see," he thought, "I'll prove to all of you that I belong here."

Meanwhile, Osiko's day at the academy was also going hard. He had been met with harsh criticism from Kojima during morning training. "Osiko! These passes are too loose! The opponent will get past you so easily!" Kojima shouted. Kojima seemed to be more gentle during the trial, but after he joined the team, he would often criticize Osiko, which could be demotivating for many players. However, instead of giving up, Osiko decided to work harder. He tried to be more careful with every shot he played. At the end of the day, Tanaka came to him again. "Osiko, you did really well today. But Kojima's eyes are always on you. He seems to be pressuring you a little too much, but that's a good sign, that's enough for now," he said and smiled.

Osiko thought about Tanaka's words. "Maybe he's right," he thought to himself. Although Kojima's pressure bothered him, he wanted to believe that this pressure would make him a better player. However, he sensed that there was something else behind Kojima's behavior. Especially after he talked to Hosogoshi, he noticed a strange gleam in Kojima's eyes.

When Kojima saw Hosogoshi sitting on the field, he went over to him and said sarcastically, "You must have accepted that your son does not belong here." Hosogoshi replied in a calm but sad voice, "I want Osiko to stay here and succeed. But when I heard that Setoshi had also been invited to a trial training session at Yuto FC, I knew something was wrong." These words sparked a plan in Kojima's mind.

That night, as Kojima reviewed the reports on the academy's players, he thought about Hosogoshi's son being accepted into Yuto FC. Osiko was a gem and he had to protect him from excessive ambition. But he also had to face reality and learn to devote himself to football, to forget about emotion on the field and to act with logic and physics. "If Setoshi stays at Yuto FC, the pressure on Osiko will increase. However, if the two of them meet again, it will test both their friendship and their rivalry," he thought. With this in mind, he began to formulate a plan. He decided to suggest to Hosogoshi that he should support his son and also organize a friendly match between Yuto FC and the academy.

The next morning, Kojima told Hosogoshi about his plan. "Let's organize a friendly match," he said. "Let's test Osiko and Setoshi's skills on a real field, in a real match. It would be a good opportunity for both the academy and Yuto FC." Hosogoshi was hesitant at first. "Would it be right to pit these two kids against each other? From what I can see, they haven't met in a few weeks," he expressed his concern. However, Kojima's insistence and the logic behind his plan finally convinced him. "Okay," Hosogoshi said, "But this match will only be an exhibition match. I don't want to put them under any more pressure."

Kojima smiled inwardly, thinking, "This match will only be the beginning." Because he wanted to see how the outcome of this match would affect not only the skills on the field, but also the friendship and competitive balance between Osiko and Setoshi.

Unaware of this friendly match, Osiko and Setoshi focused on their own training and were unaware that fate would bring them together again. However, this encounter would not be just a friendly match. It would test their emotional, mental and physical fitness.